If you have visited us online recently you’ll have noticed that we’re looking a little different. We’re always looking to align our brand with our core values as an organisation and as such have rebranded our logo and website design. See it below.

https://www.backinactionuk.com/wp-content/uploads/Exercise-assess.jpg533800Charlotte Wallerhttps://www.backinactionuk.com/wp-content/uploads/BIA-Website-Logo.pngCharlotte Waller2016-12-13 09:01:032016-12-13 09:03:54Welcome to the New Back in Action UK

A new study has elaborated further on prior evidence taken from a study suggesting that exercise programs can ease the burden of mobility issues in our aging workforce. We look at the findings, and how these fit into BIA UK’s existing philosophy.

Dr Chris van Tulleken tackles the issue of over-prescription of drugs in his two part BBC documentary as titled. He highlights the strengthening resistance of bacteria to antibiotics and gives a dangerous warning as to our future if we don’t curb our pill popping habit. But what of the solution? The TV program is well worth a watch and ventures into the frightening culture of using tablets to fix ourselves that we’ve all become accustomed to.

Over-Prescription – An Exaggeration?

Firstly, are we really taking too many pills as a nation? After all when we go to the doctor and ask for some antibiotics we really need them, right? Apparently not – as The Guardian report on the program states:

“Painkiller prescriptions have increased by 25% over the last five years, despite research showing that such tablets only work around 50% of the time. Five million people in the UK are on antidepressants and their prescribed use among teens has increased by 50% over the past seven years.”

Part of the problem stems from patients asking for antibiotics and GPs only getting a short amount of time (10 mins) to find out what the problem is and offer a solution. This means a huge amount of pills are being prescribed at any one time – indeed, Dr Chris calculates that someone born today might easily consume 100,000 pills during their lifetime.

https://www.backinactionuk.com/wp-content/uploads/cocktail-tablets.jpg384640Charlotte Wallerhttps://www.backinactionuk.com/wp-content/uploads/BIA-Website-Logo.pngCharlotte Waller2016-10-19 09:40:272016-10-19 13:03:08The Doctor Who Gave Up on Drugs

Introduction

Throughout recent weeks we’ve discussed in depth the benefits of occupational physiotherapy, how to measure it and how to achieve success and ROI with it as a wellness program.

For the last blog in this series we’re going to conclude with what a healthy workforce looks like once you’ve implemented, evaluated and reaped the benefits of your well-being program of choice and encompassed other elements of organisational culture.

Well-being Program Qualities

If we focus on well-being programs specifically to start, we’ve taken the below points from the CIPD report “Growing the Health and Well-being Agenda: From First Steps to Full Potential”. These are summarised to include the following attributes of what a successful well-being program looks like:

The well-being program has formal evaluation methods in place

The well-being program is being used by employees! (This often comes from a promotional plan of its benefits from the start)

Targets are set and measured against in relation to key metrics such as absence rates

One or all of these three areas are covered; health and safety, management of ill-health and prevention and promotion of ill health

Organisational and Environmental Qualities

With regard to employer and environmental qualities, the report mentions the below results of a happy workforce:

Employees work in a values-based working environment

Open lines of communication exist throughout the organisational hierarchy across all levels

There is clarity and unity of organisational purpose

Cultural Qualities

Lastly, let’s conclude with some cultural qualities likely to be present in an organisation with a healthy workforce.

Culturally, a work/life balance is encouraged and the culture flexible where flexibility fits and is possible

Compensation is fair and spans both salary and benefits

A holistic approach is taken covering financial wellness and mental health aspects such as stress

To conclude, the CIPD summarises the above in its graphic displaying the five domains of well-being. You can find this on page 24 of the report.

Takeaways:

A healthy workforce encompasses both cultural and target-driven elements

A holistic approach to well-being is best

Data matters in achieving wider business success through well-being

We summarise more of the CIPD report mentioned in our free eGuide which you can download here.

Introduction

The high importance of evaluation in well-being program success is documented and discussed in the CIPD report “Growing the Health and Well-being Agenda: From First Steps to Full Potential” is. The CIPD states that this importance lies in both achieving the best results and securing future budget.

There is further discussion on why evaluation is so important in our blog on hard data in wellness, but for this discussion we’re moving on to popular evaluation methods for wellness instead.

Introduction

*See this blog on Nudjed too – a company helping to deliver ROI for well-being.*

Many options are available for companies that are looking to improve performance and decrease absence in the workplace through well-being programs.

Ultimately, the results of these programs will dictate not just their success, but how viable they will be to run in the future.

There are two key areas that will dictate the success of your campaign:

Board level buy-in

Whole business buy-in

To get both the board and the company to buy-in to your program are two completely separate challenges. This blog will explore how you need to approach both challenges in a different way, and demonstrate what you need to drive a successful well-being program.

Introduction

We’ve written previously about the hard numbers and colossal cost when it comes to workplace absence, however the benefits of reducing this aren’t restricted to numerical savings off your absence bill every year. This post will discuss two wider benefits of dealing with workplace absence as a result of occupational physiotherapy we’ve had fed back to us from our clients.

For businesses of all sizes, absence can be expensive. The CIPD estimates absence costs a company an average of around £554 – £557 per employee, per year depending on whether they are a manual or non-manual worker and these costs can quickly start to stack up within larger workforces.

Calculating Your Organisation’s Workplace Absence

Working out how much absence is costing your company can be a little complicated, but if you’re just starting to understand this cost, a useful place to start is the following calculation, called the Lost Time Rate:

The cost of absence to employers is staggering, running up a bill of billions to UK businesses annually. It is for this reason that as more data has become available, wellness programs have flourished as they work on reducing the cost of absence to businesses and increasing the positive effect of wellness on organisational well-being.

One common concern when looking to implement a wellness program, is how to decide on the right wellness program for an organisation – as these can range from offering free fruit and fitness classes, to counselling and resilience training, to physiotherapy and medical care.

And to this end, data and evaluation can be a great aid in making this important business decision.

I’ve been practising or working in the physiotherapy field for 23 years so you would expect me to know a bit about the importance of physical health. But this week, it’s REALLY struck me that physical health is not just important – it’s vital! And the more I think about it, the more I think that good physical health, and therefore exercise, is the keystone to ALL health!

In fact there doesn’t seem to be many illnesses or conditions where exercise doesn’t have a role in prevention and cure. This is what I have read about the benefits of exercise just in the last 2 weeks:

Cancer

Diabetes

Exercise should be prescribed by doctors to those with Type II Diabetes to control blood sugar and insulin insensitivity.

Arthritis

It has been long proven that exercise plays a vital role in reducing arthritis symptoms, but this past month, new research suggests that high intensity training can reduce Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain.

Cardiovascular Disease

Still the Number 1 biggest killer in the UK yet news out today shows we are getting complacent despite it being preventable in many cases. Lack of exercise doubles our risk of having a heart attack.

Respiratory Disease

Research has shown that exercise can improve breathing among people with a respiratory disease, although it is recognised that participating in any type of physical activity while your lung function progressively declines is not an enjoyable experience.

Back Pain

A new piece of research confirmed that a combination of exercise and education is still the most effective approach for treatment and prevention of back pain.

Mental Health Conditions

People with mental health disorders are more likely to be diagnosed with chronic physical health conditions, says new research, but as physiotherapists, we have long known of the link between physical and mental health.

So what does that mean for us involved with sickness absence in the workplace? For me, it is clear. Occupational Health and Wellbeing Services and Programmes should focus on improving their employees’ physical fitness. The need for physiotherapists, as the exercise rehabilitation specialists, in the work place has never been stronger. By addressing employees’ physical activity into their treatment plan, we can proactively help with all sickness absence, not just musculoskeletal cases.

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"I am 100% certain that the benefits of time and cost savings were clearly apparent with additional benefits such as better moral among employees by having Back in Action UK’s on-site physiotherapy service."

Testimonials

4/5

“Within my first session, my physiotherapist was able to identify and then treat the problem with my back. They then she showed me various exercises that would prevent recurrence. She is very professional and very friendly. I would definitely recommend Back in Action UK to anyone in need of Physiotherapy in the workplace. Thanks again for all your help”

Rukia

Payroll

5/5

“I was naturally sceptical when Back in Action was presented to us. The fixed sessions I thought maybe too much cost and time. I am happy to be proved wrong:. we have seen a gradual decline in our absenteeism rates for musculoskeletal issues and we are more proactive in sorting out smaller ailments preventing them from becoming a more long term problem that leads to time off work. All our staff and operatives know that the Physio service is the first post of call and we have a very good Physio who is fully aware of the strains and stress we place on our workforce.”

Mark

Operations Manager

5/5

“We really value the Back in Action service and I’m honestly not sure how we used to manage without it. The operatives role is very physically demanding and involves a significant amount of manual handling on a daily basis. As a result the staff often suffer from minor manual handling ailments but the Back in Action service has helped to reduce this massively.

There are the obvious benefits of treating staff who have injuries which rapidly speeds their recovery time and massively reduces sickness and absence and we’ve benefited from this on many occasions over the last few years. However there are also other benefits which may go unnoticed by the business.

Martina our Back in Action physiotherapist has helped to educate the staff in the correct manual handling techniques to prevent injuries in the first place. She has carried out workplace reviews on site which has led to changes in the way some tasks are carried out, and improvements to some of the tools we provide for the staff to use. She has also conducted practical workplace assessments for drivers by assessing their cab layout, seating setup, and improving how they sit to improve their posture. She has also completed a workplace assessment to identify improvements we can make to the working environment for our operatives who also suffer from a lot of repetitive strain and manual handling type ailments.

All of these things have actively prevented and reduced the number of minor ailments and injuries happening to our staff. We’ve also benefited from expert advice with difficult cases by helping to identify adjusted duties for individuals with injuries so they can continue to work whilst they recover. Having the clinic on site also serves as a reminder to the staff of how seriously we take their welfare, and it is a benefit which all of our staff value and are glad to receive.”

Martin

Sites Manager

5/5

“One key benefit for me of having an onsite physiotherapist is that they develop a better understanding of the work we do and are therefore able to better tailor their advice when considering whether an employee is fit to work and what adjustments may be required. This is very helpful when attempting to get an employee back to work at the earliest opportunity. The service provided by Back in Action is a key part of our absence management toolkit.”

Shaw

Contracts Manager

5/5

“I have always been very pleased with the service provided by Back in Action. It demonstrates our commitment and care for staff the value of which cannot be underestimated. It also provides a way to get staff back to work more quickly after an injury than if they are left to their own devices. This has a direct positive impact on our profitability.”

Andrew

General Manager

4/5

“Back In Action provide an invaluable service to our business. They have been crucial in getting employees back to work quickly after both workplace and out of work injuries. Our operative employees see the service as a tangible benefit of working for our Company- one that they would be unlikely to enjoy elsewhere. Every employee I have referred to the service has given excellent feedback on the quality and success of physiotherapy provided.”

Steve

MRF Manager

4/5

“I believe the service Back in Action UK provide is invaluable; be it helping staff with injuries back to work, helping manage absence or preventative assessments of working practices. The key advantage for us is that the Back in Action team understand the business and the people that work here perfectly and so deal with each individual accordingly”

Matthew

Contract Manager

5/5

” We have been using Back in Action for 6 months with significant success across the demographic of employees. Our industry sector is high risk added to the manual nature of our business which requires us to support our ageing workforce. Craig our physiotherapist has become part of the team and has supported and helped our employees through some difficult physical issues and prevented periods of absence from work.

I personally have used the service and also my colleagues certainly value the Back in Action physiotherapy service and it has assisted us operationally but also emotionally as the workforce feel valued and demonstrates that we care about their health and wellbeing… this added value should not be underestimated”.

Andrew

Business Manager

“In regards to today’s assessments, on behalf of everyone here at Impact we wanted to say what an absolute pleasure Kieran was.

Not only did he successfully help every single member of the team in the office: improve their working-day positions/ correcting any presented issues etc. But in general an absolute delight to be around! An extremely excellent and professional service provided.”

Sarah Roberts

Office Manager / Impact Creative Recruitment

5/5

“Since the early part of last year I started to have a problem with my right shoulder, the Back in Action UK team started a course of treatment on my shoulder and advised me on how to set up my work station which was the suspected cause of my problem. It is very handy that I can have treatment while at work and to my shoulder this saves me and the company a great deal of time.”

Patrick

Manager

5/5

“Working with Back in Action UK, we developed a simple procedure for swift action and constructive utilisation of the Back in Action UK physiotherapy service.

In the four years of utilization of this resource, I am 100% certain that the benefits of time and cost savings were clearly apparent with additional benefits such as better moral among employees. For instance, having a full crew and less dependence on agency use had a positive impact on team morale productivity. Back in Action UK fully acknowledge the importance of working with management with company AND employee interests at heart.

My personal belief of the “Back in Action UK” program is it is essential to an industry that requires its work force to carry out duties of a physical nature, the expertise and speed of which services can be delivered ensures an active, well motivated, high-morale work force, keeping training and agency employee costs down.”

Roy

Senior Contract Manager

4/5

“We have enjoyed working with the Back In Action UK’s physiotherapists during the formation of the manual handling risk assessment report… should be highly commended.”

January 2014

Gary

Health & Safety and Quality Manager

5/5

“I wanted to personally thank Back in Action UK for the work you have put in and I genuinely believe that without the treatment I would not be able to work now.”

Steve

Landscapes Manager

5/5

“The service provision is very user friendly, no long drawn out processes and form filling required as appointments are handled through a secure, easy to understand website and Contract Managers have direct access and flow of two way information relevant to employees working conditions with the physiotherapist.”

Terry Reeves

Health & Safety and Quality Manager

5/5

“I was very pleased to find out we had an onsite physiotherapist as I’d been suffering with some lower back pain at work and needed to have it seen to. I found Amy to be both approachable and friendly and also very professional about her job. Within only 4 sessions she’d managed to get rid of my back pain and also gave same great advice and tips of what exercises to do to keep the pain at bay, and as she is on site weekly, I know now that I can return if I have any other muscle aches and pains”

5 out of 5

Susan Williams

Senior Administrator

5/5

“Since Back in Action UK have been working with our company we have seen a large decrease in lost time in musculoskeletal injuries due to their efficient treatment and modern techniques. The staff are always courteous and friendly while maintaining a professional approach. This service has raised employee morale and shown our company in a caring, supportive light. I would not hesitate to recommend Back in Action UK to any company who needed a physiotherapy service.”

Matthew

Health and Safety Manager

5/5

“This is a superb physio Service where the patient is always put first. Nothing is ever too much trouble. I would highly recommend them..”

Terry

Services Support Manager

5/5

On a grizzly Saturday in March, a team of eight colleagues from Back in Action UK came together in Nechells, Birmingham to makeover the Fareshare office. The space was looking dull and tired an in need of some TLC. Fortunately, for Fareshare it was given a fantastic overhaul by a dedicated team of volunteers. They painted all the walls in the lounge and main office white and glossed the woodwork, as an extra they painted the kitchen and stairwell too! Two huge Fareshare logos were painted beautifully onto the walls to help to demonstrate a more professional look. The bench at the front of the office was sprayed red, with two tyres spray painted green. The tyres will be filled with flowers to help bring the front of the building to life in line with the brand colours. To top it off, as the team were trained occupational physiotherapists, they were able to leave their mark on the office by re-arranging the layout so that its more ergonomic for the staff who work there. Well done team!